Lucky Danvers dog saved by free surgery at Bulger Animal Hospital

When Bear, the service dog of Danvers resident Linda Blais, suffered a crippling inury, he was saved by free surgery from Bulger Animal Hospital in North Andover.

Sally Applegate / Correspondent

Bear is one lucky dog.

He has been saved twice, first by being rescued as a puppy from a pet shop where he may have been facing euthanasia, and second by a surgeon with a heart.

The adorable 3-month-old Pomeranian puppy was noticed sitting alone in a wooden crate on a shelf in the back room of a Rhode Island pet shop by seizure patient Linda Blais. He had been deemed not fit for sale, having an iffy liver and a too-quiet personality.

“People should be aware that when they return a pet to a pet store, they are usually euthanized,” says Danvers resident Blais. “It’s more cost effective than paying for a veterinarian. The owner asked me, ‘Do you want him?’ I took him home, intending to find him a home.

“I never intended to keep him, but then my service dog Shelby became ill, and when Shelby died, Bear was trained to become my new service dog. His whole attitude changed when Shelby was gone. He went from a playful puppy to a grown-up dog. It’s as if Shelby was telling him he had to take over now.”

The tiny Pomeranian can smell chemical changes and give Blais a 20-minute warning that she is going to have a seizure. This can be lifesaving for her. When a seizure is imminent, Bear goes right to her and won’t let her stand up. As a service dog, Bear wears a vest announcing he is a certified service dog, and is allowed to accompany Blais everywhere she goes. People are always taking photos of the appealing Pomeranian.

Bear has been her completely devoted companion for six years, and when he developed trouble walking, Blais planned a yard sale to raise the $3,000 needed for surgery to repair his badly displaced kneecap and damaged ligaments. Veterinarian Dr. Lauren Blaeser of Bulger Animal Hospital in North Andover heard about Bear from her husband, and volunteered to donate her skills as a surgeon to save the little dog.

“She’s just a really nice lady, and the dog is devoted to her. He knows what his job is,” says Blaeser, who lives in Boxford with her husband and three children. “Bear was a little nervous to be here without her. He’s lost without her. The hardest part was to get him comfortable and pain-free, yet alert. He was back home in 24 hours.

“Bear’s knee is normal now. He had a Grade 4 case, where the kneecap was always out. I rearranged the bones in that area and stabilized the ligament. His kneecap is in place and everything feels good. He’s off the leash.”

Blais says she “cried like crazy” when she learned that Bulger Animal Hospital was going to donate the operation. She is also impressed that Dr. Blaeser came down to Danvers so Bear could have his cast removed at home without being separated from his owner.

“She’s a real vet, like you see on TV,” says Blais. “She has a heart and she loves what she does. I gave her a plaque to thank her. Every day I think I had an angel at the right time.”

Meanwhile, Bear is busy recovering at home, scrambling happily from room to room and stretching out comfortably on the living room floor with his rear legs splayed out behind him. That’s a typical position for his breed, but he could never lie down that way before he had the surgery.

The large family swimming pool has been a big factor in the tiny dog’s recovery. Family members put a life vest on Bear, and he can now swim the entire 36 feet to Blais, which has been a major factor in his successful recovery.

Dr. Blaeser believes small service dogs deserve as much recognition for their accomplishments as the larger breeds.

“People don’t recognize that these little dogs are service dogs too,” says Blaeser. “They deserve credit for their work as well.”

Bear also knows when other people need him. At a flea market in Rhode Island he was trying hard to get to a woman who had a booth there.

“We let her hold him, and he wouldn’t let her get up,” says Blais. “We asked her how she was feeling, and she said she felt terrible. An hour later they called 911 because she had a low blood sugar emergency.”

Blais’ brother Lane is designing a little sidecar for Bear, so he can ride alongside Blais when she is out on her motorcycle, and be close enough to smell any impending seizure. Bear has his own little helmet, goggles and leather jacket for these excursions.

The Blais family is a motorcycle family. Mother Peggy made the papers when she returned to cycling at age 81 after recovering from an injury. Brother Lane customizes cycles and does body work on them, and her brother Lee cycles along with his five pooches installed in a basket, two saddlebags, and a luggage carrier.

Bear enjoys his life with the Blais family, and is pampered and adored by his owner. He reserves his Elvis impression, [curling up his lip] for brother Lane, who is his babysitter when Blais has a medical appointment.

“I care more about that dog than I do anything else,” says Blais. “I saved his life and he saved mine.”